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Headlines for Saturday, January 16, 2021

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Kansas Legislators Review Proposed Anti-abortion Amendment

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion opponents and abortion rights supporters yesterday (FRI) previewed arguments they’ll make to voters if lawmakers put a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution on the ballot. House and Senate committees heard testimony on a proposal to overturn a Kansas Supreme Court decision in 2019 declaring access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. Testimony often moved from the text of the proposal to larger arguments about regulating abortion. Abortion opponents argue that they are trying only to preserve restrictions enacted previously with bipartisan support. Abortion rights supporters argued that the proposed amendment is a step toward a state abortion ban.

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Governor Limits Statehouse Access in Face of Possible Protests

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly is restricting access to the Kansas Statehouse over the possibility of an armed protest in the coming week. Her office told state lawmakers Thursday that an event is planned for Sunday, with “other potential gatherings” possible next week. The Democratic governor’s chief of staff sent a memo Thursday to the Republican-controlled Legislature’s top Republican and Democratic leaders announcing that access to the building will be restricted from Friday evening through January 22nd. The memo said law enforcement also will have an increased presence at the Statehouse. The House speaker told colleagues in an email that officers will be stationed at each door on the first and second floors.

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Kansas on Track to Pay Out Extra Unemployment Benefit

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is on track to pay out an extra $300-a-week federal unemployment benefit as part of a coronavirus rescue aid package enacted late last month. Top Department of Labor staffer Ryan Wright said the agency was in the process of testing the requisite system. Roughly two dozen states have begun paying out the extra benefit, but Wright noted that neighboring states were also not yet up and running either.  The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that he didn’t commit to a firm time frame but said “we are talking days and weeks, not months” and insisted that the state is “not behind.”

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Kansas Senate Votes to Extend COVID Emergency, Limit Kelly

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Health care workers are working to speed up the vaccine rollout as the Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to a bill that extends a state of emergency for the pandemic while limiting Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s power to direct the state’s response. The law enacted in June limits Kelly’s ability to close businesses and allows counties to opt out of health orders she issues. The law and a state of emergency that makes it easier for officials to deal with the pandemic are set to expire January 26th. The bill would extend both through March 31st.  A final vote is expected in the Republican-controlled Senate later Thursday. Businesses, nursing homes and medical providers are granted some protections from lawsuits under the law.

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Wichita Woman Gets Probation after Bilking Alzheimer's Patient

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 60-year-old Wichita woman who persuaded an elderly man with Alzheimer's to make her beneficiary of nearly all his assets was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to repay nearly $61,000 to the man's family. Laurie Nowlin was sentenced Thursday. If she violates her probation, she would face a 13-month jail sentence. Prosecutors say she persuaded the 88-year-old man to make her his power of attorney and beneficiary after isolating him from his family. Prosecutors allege she took more than $80,000 from the man. His family claimed in a lawsuit that he wrote checks and made cash withdrawals from his accounts totaling about $143,000.

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Wichita Police Identify Man Charged in Fatal Restaurant Shooting

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police have identified a man arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting another man outside a Wichita restaurant and say the suspect has a long criminal history. The shooting was reported around 1:30 p.m. Thursday in south Wichita. A police investigation revealed that the shooting stemmed from a disturbance outside Berrieria Tito restaurant and that the man who was shot made his way back into the restaurant, where he died. Police have not yet released the victim's name. Police have arrested 26-year-old Adrian Nicholas Zongker, who is currently on parole on a separate conviction. The Wichita Eagle reports that Zongker has five prior convictions in Sedgwick County, including for assault and weapons counts.

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Kansas Lawmakers Move Quickly on Local Tax 'Transparency'

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are moving quickly to try a different approach in seeking to limit city and county taxes. The Senate voted 34-1 on Thursday for a proposed transparency law that would require local officials to notify their constituents and hold a public hearing if they intend to spend extra dollars raised with property taxes. The bill would repeal what many lawmakers see as an ineffective a lid on city and county property taxes that took effect in 2017. The Republican-controlled Legislature approved a similar transparency bill last year, but Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed it. She said this week she was worried about administrative burdens for local officials.

 

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